More Tigers: Census Reveals Rare Bright Spot for Endangered Cats

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The outlook for tigers, a species that has nearly disappeared
from the wild, got a little less dreary today.

New numbers revealed at the start of a tiger conservation
conference in India show that the tiger
population in the host country is actually on the rise.

Indian officials announced today (Mar. 28) that the country's
tiger population has increased by 225 since 2007, the last time a
comprehensive population survey was conducted.

Although the number may seem small, it marks a significant
increase in India's tiger population, now said to be roughly
1,706 big cats.

The
tiger count, conducted by Indian authorities and
international conservation organizations, was the largest ever
undertaken. Several areas in India were intensively surveyed for
the first time, and a number of tigers were discovered living
outside of designated tiger reserves and national parks.

"In its detail, this tiger estimation exercise shows the
importance India attaches to this prime conservation issue," said
Ravi Singh, chief executive of conservation group WWF's India
branch. "The results indicate the need to intensify field-based
management and intervention to go beyond the present benchmark,
bringing more people and partners into the process."

The three-day International Tiger Conservation Conference comes
shortly after the launch of the groundbreaking Global Tiger
Recovery Program, a worldwide plan to bring the species back from
the brink of extinction.

According to some estimates, a mere 3,200 tigers live in the wild
in 13 Asian countries. Loss of habitat, poaching and a
brisk trade in tiger parts have contributed to a 97 percent
decline in tiger populations around the world, down from roughly
100,000 animals at the beginning of the 20th century.

"Recovery requires strong protection of core tiger areas and
areas that link them, as well as effective management in the
surrounding areas," said Mike Baltzer, head of WWF's Tigers Alive
Initiative. "With these two vital conservation ingredients, we
can not only halt their decline, but ensure tigers make a strong
and lasting comeback."